Naruto: From Extra to Savior

There was no shortage of pressing matters piling up on Tsunade's desk, and at this point, Mizuki wasn't important enough to warrant her special attention. But when the time came, she wouldn't think twice about putting him to work.

Mizuki stood before Tsunade now, silently waiting while she finished reading the documents in her hand. When Tsunade looked up, she asked, "You know exactly how seriously injured Hayate Gekko and Kurenai Yuhi are, right? You were teammates with them on the same mission. Do you have anything to say about this?"

"Nothing," Mizuki replied. The situation was already obvious, and he had nothing more to add.

After hearing his answer, Tsunade set aside a large stack of documents, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Mizuki half-smilingly: "Never thought that during my time away, someone like you—a genius potion master—would actually turn out to be real. Hmm? And not just that, you're also proficient in sealing techniques and skilled in barriers and fortified warfare. Truly impressive talent. Now tell me, what exactly is this 'Omnipotence' of yours? It surely can't be as simple as it appears?"

"It's life-saving pills with severe side effects." Although he had expected it would be hard to hide things from someone like Tsunade, a medical ninja who understood the human body so thoroughly, he hadn't expected her to detect something suspicious so quickly.

"Severe side effects? That's definitely not all..." Tsunade asserted forcefully: "With either Hayate Gekko or Kurenai Yuhi, such an explanation of 'serious side effects' won't cut it. Kurenai might still be okay, but Hayate is complicated; regular healing techniques can barely be used on him anymore, only primitive methods keep him alive. That 'severe side effects' line might fool a couple of green rookies, but not me. You should know perfectly well who you're talking to here—I'm not someone easily deceived…"

Alright, it's true that Tsunade wasn't easy to deceive, but even so, she could only make guesses based on Hayate Gekko and Kurenai Yuhi's injuries. Without seeing the actual effects of the Omnipotence, if Mizuki didn't speak openly, guessing the truth would truly be difficult with the technological level of the ninja world.

"So what parts are you curious about?" The situation was what it was—whatever Tsunade managed to deduce, Mizuki simply admitted straightforwardly. As for the rest? Mizuki decided to play it cool and keep quiet. After all, he was still a loyal Konoha ninja, and no one was getting their hands on his research. At the very least, Tsunade was easier to talk to than Danzo Shimura. After all, if she hadn't disagreed with the village's top brass, she wouldn't have left—and stayed away—for years.

Seeing that Mizuki neither denied nor confessed willingly, Tsunade couldn't help but rub her temples and sighed tiredly, "You guys from the older generation are never as easy to deal with as the newbies. Anyway, Kurenai's condition isn't too bad and has almost recovered completely. But Hayate Gekko's body is on the verge of total collapse. In this situation, not even I can do anything about it."

"Psychological wounds I can manage to some extent. He should wake up soon. But chakra depletion is different—it's part of the cycle of life, like birth, aging, illness, and death. That's something I'm powerless to address for now. His time is short—he's on the edge of death at any moment. Right now, I can just barely stop his condition from getting worse."

"As for chakra depletion, if I actually had a solid solution, I wouldn't be grinding so hard to boost my power this fast—side effects be damned. Time isn't on my side."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it…" Tsunade looked carefully at Mizuki's appearance and noticed his physical abnormalities, then confirmed, "Indeed, your condition matches his as well. Although you seem slightly better than Hayate Gekko, your situation is far worse than Kurenai Yuhi's."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help." Mizuki understood his own body well and knew he had no good methods to handle such complex issues. For Hayate Gekko's condition, all he could do was ask Tsunade to think of solutions. The only thing Mizuki could think of was transplanting the First's cells. But while Danzo could use multiple Sharingan eyes to balance the First's cells and the Sharingan, what method did Hayate have to avoid being consumed after the transplant?

...

The conversation with Tsunade didn't yield any concrete results. Still, through this encounter, Mizuki got a general sense of her stance. Though Tsunade had her flaws as Hokage, at least she carried herself like a true leader. Unlike Danzo Shimura, who only played political games and schemes, or Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who seemed wise and burdened with experience but lacked real decisiveness when critical judgment was needed—like with that whole mess involving the Land of Earth, which dragged on endlessly until finally resolved by Tsunade's return.

As Mizuki was leaving after his chat with Tsunade, he ran into Shikamaru Nara, who was now wearing the standard Chunin vest.

"Became a Chunin already, huh Shikamaru? Congratulations. From now on, we'll be colleagues."

"Thank you, Teacher Mizuki," Shikamaru greeted lazily as usual. "Guess we're gonna be busy from now on."

"The village needs someone like you to step up and help strengthen it. Perfect timing, honestly. Keep up the good work, Shikamaru."

As Mizuki passed by Shikamaru, he couldn't help recalling the mission that earned him his promotion. Tsunade had been back for days now, yet hadn't given him any specific orders. At one point, he even wondered if he'd been forgotten. But today's visit from Iwagakure reminded him—the matter wasn't over. It had just not officially begun yet.

Still, these events confused Mizuki somewhat. Surprisingly few people had come from the Land of Earth, and among them, even fewer displayed strong abilities.

By all rights, Kiri was also one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Although its strength wasn't top-tier, it should still be significantly stronger than villages in harsher regions like the Land of Wind and the blood mist country (Kiri). So how could they have been so careless about someone as important as Deidara? It completely contradicted their earlier firm stance and demand for capturing Deidara at all costs.

"It looks like something unexpected has come up again. I guess I'll have to wait and see if it's a good thing or not."

Since he had already decided that he would definitely get involved in this incident somehow, the danger level could vary greatly depending on which identity and role he took on.

...

Inside a relatively quiet sake bar, Mizuki had just walked in when he heard someone greet him.

"Over here, Mizuki." The cheerful greeting came from Asuma Sarutobi, who was already slightly drunk. Sitting opposite them were Kakashi Hatake and Lord Jiraiya. Kakashi seemed fine, leisurely flipping through the latest installment of Make Out Paradise. Meanwhile, both Asuma Sarutobi and Lord Jiraiya had already drunk quite a bit and looked visibly tipsy.

Mizuki didn't hesitate and directly sat down next to Asuma Sarutobi.

"Where've you been these past few days? Was dealing with the Land of Earth really that tough?"

"Well, it was definitely troublesome, but the risk probably wasn't that high. You'll probably know the details soon enough."

"I see. Then I can rest easy." Although no specifics were mentioned, it might've been some sensitive matter. But since Asuma Sarutobi said it wasn't particularly dangerous, he likely wouldn't lie about such things. Probably the mission wasn't beyond his capabilities.

Asuma Sarutobi took out a pack of cigarettes, casually lit one up, took a deep puff, and then said, "I didn't expect so many things to happen in the village during my absence. Who the hell do they think they are, attacking Konoha with just a handful of guys? They're seriously something else."

Kakashi Hatake, having personally experienced what happened, agreed, "Even harder to believe is that they nearly succeeded. If Lord Jiraiya hadn't been here, we might've never figured out how to stop them—and at what cost in lives."

"We didn't really win either, Kakashi," Jiraiya said, shaking the porcelain bottle before pouring the last of the sake into his cup. He took a sip and continued, "They simply backed off once they realized how tough it would be to push forward. Even I wouldn't bet on being able to beat them outright. They clearly held back, and as for me… I've pretty much reached my limit."

"Who would've thought Wood Release techniques would keep popping up like this, and with so much power," Kakashi sighed. "I used to think techniques like this only existed in Konoha. Unexpectedly, a few sudden strangers managed to wield such powerful Wood Releases."

"Back during the Chunin Exams, Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, showed everyone just how powerful the legendary Wood Release could be. That alone was unbelievable enough. But not long after that, Wood Release techniques appeared again—this time with incredible Wood Style techniques. Although eventually pushed back by Ino–Shika–Cho, it was clear their opponent wasn't some weakling. They simply saw no reason to waste energy fighting and withdrew on their own terms."

"Do you feel like this world is moving too fast for you to recognize anymore?" Mizuki asked Kakashi with a smile.

"You're not wrong," Kakashi replied. "In just two months, so many things we thought were set in stone have changed. Space-based jutsu, Wood Release—seeing them with our own eyes feels like dreaming."

Speaking of change, Asuma sighed. "Konoha's already on its Fifth Hokage," he said, clearly recalling the late Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Never would've thought Lord Third would fall even after coming out of retirement. Before the Fourth took office, he used to joke he might be the first Hokage to finish his term peacefully—but in the end, he couldn't escape his fate..."

The heavy topic left everyone at a loss for words. Silence settled over the room.

Finally, Jiraiya broke the silence.

"Mizuki, you recently met Tsunade, didn't you? Did she say anything to you?"

"Nothing special. She just wanted to know about Hayate Gekko and Kurenai Yuhi's treatments," Mizuki answered—not exactly lying, though deliberately leaving out certain details.

"Hmm..." Jiraiya paused briefly before continuing, "Then may I have one of your life-saving pills? You still have some left, right?"

"Uh?" Mizuki hesitated slightly, then recovered. "Sure thing. Though I can't spare many, giving you a few shouldn't hurt..."

Nearby, Kakashi Hatake couldn't hide his surprise. "Even Lord Jiraiya needs these pills? It's hard to imagine anyone in the ninja world strong enough to push you into needing something like this."

Jiraiya shook his head. "You're being too optimistic, Kakashi. There are forces out there beyond what we can imagine..."

At this point, Mizuki couldn't help but think of that boy with the Rinnegan.

"Also, I don't know why, but I've had a growing sense of danger lately—as if some unknown threat is approaching. So better to prepare now than regret it later."

"I have no objection." As he spoke, Mizuki pulled out three vials and handed them to Jiraiya. "One full dose treats minor injuries externally, half a vial saves critical injuries, and using more than that means resorting to desperate measures."

"Alright." After accepting the medicine, Jiraiya took out a scroll and offered it to Mizuki. "This is something small I picked up while traveling. Please take it."

"Thanks, I won't refuse then." Even though he didn't know exactly what it was, since it was given as a gift or payment, there was no harm in taking it. Who knows—there might be an unexpected surprise inside.

...

After dragging on for nearly a week, finally came news of Mizuki's promotion mission.

Mizuki stood in front of Tsunade, reading over the mission details.

After a long silence, Mizuki looked up. "I understand the general scope of the mission, but what is the village's position exactly? And how far am I supposed to go?"

Once Mizuki finished reading, Tsunade spoke. "While this appears to be a joint effort, our objectives actually align closely with Iwagakure's. The issue is Sunagakure's stance has been unclear, making it difficult to tell what they truly want. For now, we can set those concerns aside and focus on our task."

"So you're saying this is just a formal alliance, meaning we can't trust them?"

"That wouldn't be entirely accurate either. After all, we aren't in an openly hostile state with them, so we do need to maintain some level of decorum on the surface."

"So what exactly do you want me to do about Deidara?"

"If necessary, take him out quietly. But your main job is to buy us time. Everything else comes second. Once we've completed our part, you'll have discretion to act as circumstances allow."

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